Whether you invited friends over last minute or just don’t want to put that much effort into snacks, these 20-minute recipes are amazingly easy to put together and they taste so good, you’ll forget all about your usual pizza and burger delivery.

Cajun Shrimp Guac Bites

These don’t take too long to make, but if you want a super-fast version, we’ve got you covered: Season the shrimp as directed, add to sweet potato chips or precooked rounds, and top with a dollop of store-bought guacamole or slices of fresh avocado.Recipe:Ingredients

1 sweet potatoes, sliced in ¼” slices

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt to season

Chipotle Shrimp:

1lb. large raw shrimp, peel and deveined

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon chipotle chili powder

1 tablespoon olive oil

Guacamole:

4 small avocados

½ cup cilantro

juice of 1 lime (about 2-3 tablespoons)

1½ tablespoons red wine vinegar

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

salt to tasteInstructions

Cover bottom of baking sheet with tin foil. Add 1 tablespoon of olive to tin foil and using a brush, spread the olive oil over the entire pan so it is coated. Place the sweet potato slices on the prepared baking sheet.

Pour remaining tablespoon of olive oil into a small dish, using a brush, brush the tops of the sweet potato slices with olive oil. Lightly season with salt.

Bake in oven for 10 minutes.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and gently flip the sweet potatoes slices over using a pair of tongs. Place back in oven and bake an additional 5-7 minutes. Remove and let sit.

To prepare the Guacamole: Add avocado, cilantro, lime juice, red wine vinegar, red pepper flakes, and salt to a food processor or blender. Lightly pulse until the mixture is smooth. Set aside.

To prepare the Chipotle Shrimp: In a small bowl, add shrimp, smoked paprika, ground cumin, sea salt, and chipotle chili powder. Toss the shrimp to coat in the seasoning blend.

Heat a large skillet to medium high heat. Add olive oil to the pan and then place the shrimp. Cook shrimp for 2-3 minutes per side.

Assemble the bites. Top each sweet potato slice with a dollop of guacamole, one shrimp, and garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve.

Chicken Avocado Salad Roll-UpsSkip the hoagies and make these chicken salad wraps instead. They’re good on their own if it’s just you and your boo or can be cut up into bite-size pieces to feed a hungry crowd.RecipeIngredients

2 cups shredded chicken

1 ripe avocado- mashed

2-4 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt (start with 2 and add more if the salad seems to dry)

1 ½-2 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons finely diced red onion

2 green onion-sliced

Freshly ground black pepper- to taste

¼ teaspoon salt (or more to taste)

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 ½ tablespoon fresh cilantro or parsley- chopped

½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese

5-6 Tortillas (8 or 10 inch diameter)

Instructions:

You can use 6 (8 inch) tortillas.

In a large bowl combine all ingredients for Chicken Avocado salad. Stir until evenly blended.

Spread the mixture over tortilla and roll up tightly. Repeat with remaining salad.

Slice with serrated knife into ½ inch slices. You can slice them immediately or refrigerate until firm (about 30 mins). It’s easier to slice when chilled.

Watermelon Feta SkewersBecause not everyone wants to eat wings all day, it’s smart to have a lighter option. Swap out that tired fruit plate for these easy-to-grab skewers. Watermelon and feta were practically meant to be together, and blackberries are a tart twist.Recipe

Ingredients

1 small seedless ripe watermelon, cut into 1″cubes

6 ounces of Feta cheese, cut into 1” cubes

Fresh Ripe Firm Blackberries

Small wooden skewers

Instructions

Skewer watermelon chunks, feta and blackberry.

Place on serving platter and store in refrigerator until ready to serve

BBQ Chicken Skillet Nachos

Rotisserie chicken makes filling homemade nachos so. easy. Shred some up; add it to tortilla chips with cheese, barbecue sauce, and veggies; and bake. The only thing you’ll have to worry about is when to make a second batch.RecipeIngredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small red onion

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

Salt & pepper

1 cup BBQ sauce

1 bag tortilla chips

2 cups shredded cheddar/mozzarella blend

Garnish:

1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped finely

Sour cream, to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F.

Chop onion and cilantro and prepare cheeses (if you need to grate them).

Add the olive oil, onion, chicken, salt & pepper, and BBQ sauce to the skillet on medium-high heat. Cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally, until it’s all mixed together and starts bubbling.

Remove the chicken mixture from the pan and set aside.

Add a fairly even layer (some overlap is ok) of tortilla chips to the bottom of the pan. Add half the chicken mixture, followed by half the cheese. Add another layer of tortilla chips, the rest of the chicken mixture, and the rest of the cheese. Bake for 15 minutes.

Serve with cilantro sprinkled on top and a dollop of sour cream. Dive in immediately.

Creamy Avocado DipNo game day is complete without a little guac, and this one couldn’t be easier to make. Mash some avocados, then add lime, minced garlic, cilantro, peppers, tomato, and onion. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bring on the chips. Maybe add a couple dashes of hot sauce to spice it up quickly.RecipeIngredients:

4 tablespoons Silk Unsweetened Almond milk

1 clove garlic, finely minced

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 teaspoons grated lime zest

3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

3 ripe avocados, pitted

1 small jalapeno pepper, minced

1 ripe tomato, finely chopped

1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

InstructionsIn a large bowl mash the avocados until soft, then add in remaining ingredients and mash everything together until well combined. Serve with tortilla chips, fresh veggies, or as a spread on burgers and sandwiches!

Sore throats can be the worst. It starts with that scratchy irritation, and before you know it you’re cringing with every painful swallow. They can come from viral infections, bacterial infections, allergies, and even muscle strains. So unless you’re a superhero, there’s a good chance you’ve had one before.

But you don’t need a cape or even OTC medicine to get some relief. Try these science-backed strategies including dessert to feel better fast.

1. Sage

Sage can soothe that nasty sore throat thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties. Try using it in your tea preparation, it will give you a soothing relief.

2. Licorice Root

Licorice Root Tea is worth sipping to get rid of sore throat. It is also beneficial in cases of heartburn, cold and cough.

3. Honey

Adding honey to warm water or tea is known to have fast relief from sore throat issues. It is one of the remedy used from ancient times and it really works very good.

4. Ice Cream, Fro-Yo, and Popsicles

Health experts suggest eating soft cold or frozen foods helps in ease the pain of scratchy throats. It’s rare to hear the advice that ice cream will do you good, so you might as well take advantage with a few scoops.

5. Rest

This cannot be emphasized enough. Taking a break and resting your voice is one of the best ways to feel better faster. Instead of chatting on the phone to a friend, try silent meditation or a nap. Let your body come back from whatever infection it is fighting, and you can get back to being your best self. (Bonus: This one is absolutely 100 percent free!)

Yoga is gaining popularity throughout the world due to health benefits like improved flexibility and strength. It also helps in reducing anxiety and stress levels. But the same yoga, if performed incorrectly can cause harm to the body.

While most yoga injuries aren’t severe and go unreported, more serious issues do occur, including strains and sprains, fractures, dislocations and in rare cases, bone spurs, sciatic nerve damage and stroke. According to yoga experts, injuries can happen any time, in any sport, or even walking down the sidewalk — and scary injuries are rare. Most yoga injuries develop gradually over years of consistent over-stretching and misalignment. As with any physical activity, the safest approach to yoga is to learn how to practice the poses correctly and stay in tune with your body to avoid overdoing it. Following arecommon yoga injuries:

Elbows: Joint pain in the elbows can result from bending them out to the sides in poses like chaturanga. While it may be easier to execute, lowering down with outward pointing elbows can stress the joint and can also put undue stress on the wrists.

Wrists: When it comes to the wrists, it’s all about leverage. Placing all of the body’s weight in the wrists when the hands are on the mat can lead to muscle and joint injuries.

Shoulders: Shrugging also compresses the shoulders, which can cause muscle injuries. It’s easy to injure the shoulder girdle or rotator cuff (and even dislocate the joint) by over-extending or over-stretching.

Ribs: Twists are awesome for releasing tension, but if done improperly they can overextend or bruise the intercostal muscles (the muscles in between the ribs).

Lower back: Lower back pain is the most frequently cited yoga injury and it’s likely the result of rounding through the spine in poses like forward folds.

Hamstrings: Spend most days sitting in front of the computer, in class, or in the car? Guilty as charged. As a result, many of us have tight hamstrings, so it’s easy to pull or over-stretch them in poses like forward bends.

Hips: It’s easy to over-extend the hips’ range of motion in splits, warrior poses, and wide-legged forward folds which might tear the muscles of the inner groin or inner thighs.

Knee: Knee issues can plague even experienced yogis well after class . A common culprit of pain is the cross-legged position. Flexibility carries from the hips first; if the hips are tight in the pose, the knees will be the first place to feel pain or tension.

Neck: Head and shoulder stands can be the worst culprits for neck pain and injury. Repeatedly and incorrectly placing pressure on the neck in poses such as shoulder stand and headstand can compress the neck and put pressure on the cervical vertebrae, resulting in joint issues and in some cases, loss of neck flexion.

When you think about leg exercises in gym, you probably imagine jacked dudes grunting at the squat rack. But you can actually get a killer lower body workout without weights, machines, or even hours at the gym.

Isolating and working with your full body weight on one leg is a very good way to still bring a lot of resistance to the movement with limited to no equipment. These moves really challenge the leg as it’s not used to holding the full load of the body. Another way to ensure your lower-body workouts are extra efficient is to actually work the muscles you want to work.

To start with you will need a sturdy chair with a flat seat for this workout. Perform each exercise below in order at a high-intensity effort for 30 seconds. Rest for 5 seconds between each exercise to reset. This regimen can be repeated 2 to 3 times, if desired.

1. High Knees With Arms Overhead

Stand tall with feet hip width. Extend arms overhead, keeping biceps close to your ears. Engage core and use lower abs to lift and lower one knee at a time as if running in place. Bring knees to same height as hips, thighs parallel to floor, and try not to lean back. Stay on balls of feet and alternate legs as quickly as possible.

2. Sideways Bear Crawl

Start on all fours with hands under shoulders, knees under hips and bent to 90 degrees. Tuck toes and lift knees to hover two inches off the ground. Press through hands to keep shoulders out of ears. Keeping core tight, move right arm and right foot to the right for 5 steps and then repeat to the left for 5 steps.

3. Single-Leg Pistol Squat (Right Leg)

Start by standing in front of chair with feet hip width. Shift weight to right leg and extend left leg out in front of you. Keeping core engaged and chest lifted, send hips back to lower seat to chair. Tap butt to seat, then press through right heel to stand back up. For an extra challenge, remove the chair and try to lower butt about three inches from floor, keeping left leg lifted.

4. Single-Leg Pistol Squat (Left Leg)

Start by standing in front of chair with feet hip width. Shift weight to left leg and extend right leg out in front of you. Keeping core engaged and chest lifted, send hips back to lower butt to chair. Tap butt to seat, then press through left heel to stand back up. For an extra challenge, remove the chair and try to lower butt about three inches from floor, keeping right leg lifted.

5. Shoulder Tap

Start in high plank position, wrists under shoulders, feet slightly wider than hip-width apart. Engage core and butt for stability. Tap left hand to right shoulder, then place back on mat. Resist the urge to let hips twist or dip; keep them square to mat. Repeat by tapping right hand to left shoulder and continue to alternate.

6. Side Lunge (Right Side)

Stand with feet just wider than hip-width apart. Take a big step to the right with right foot as you hinge at hips to send butt back. Bend right knee and keep left leg straight. Shift all body weight to the right side as you squat back while keeping chest lifted. Push off with right leg to return to standing, then repeat.

7. Side Lunge (Left Side)

Stand with feet just wider than hip-width apart. Take a big step to the left with left foot as you hinge at hips to send butt back. Bend left knee and keep right leg straight. Shift all body weight to the left side as you squat back while keeping chest lifted. Push off with left leg to return to standing, then repeat.

8. Hip Bridge

Lie faceup with knees bent and feet shoulder-width apart. Feet should be about 4 inches from butt. Press into heels to raise hips straight up off the ground, engaging glutes and bracing your core. Lower down slowly, creating your own resistance.

9. Squat Thrust

Start standing, then forward fold to place hands on floor. Jump feet out to a plank position (shoulders over wrists, core engaged). Jump your feet back to hands and stand tall. Continue to repeat.

10. Line Jump

Draw an imaginary line down the middle of the floor. Keeping your feet together, jump side to side over the line as quickly as possible. Land lightly on your feet with every jump.

11. Split Squat (Right Leg)

Start facing away from chair with feet about two feet away. Reach left leg backward and rest toes on edge of seat. With core engaged and back tall, bend right knee to lower body until right thigh is about parallel to floor and right shin forms a parallel line with back. Press into right heel and squeeze glutes to drive back up to starting position.

12. Split Squat (Left Leg)

Start facing away from chair with feet about two feet away. Reach right leg backward and rest toes on edge of seat. With core engaged and back tall, bend left knee to lower body until left thigh is about parallel to floor and left shin forms a parallel line with back. Press into left heel and squeeze glutes to drive back up to starting position.

Baked, fried or sauteed chicken makes chicken lovers go crazy. Chicken not only tastes good, but is also good in nutritive values. Cooking chicken is easy, but it requires practice, skill and right technique. Here are following recipes focusing on chicken breast which comes handy for you, so what are you waiting for to show your culinary skills and enjoy your meal.

1. Healthy Roasted Chicken and Veggies

This is a super straight forward recipe where veggies and chicken are roasted at the same time in the same pan, so there’s minimal prep necessary. Add a cooked grain to round out the meal.

2. Chicken Shawarma and Sweet Potato Fry Bowls

Shawarma lovers, create your own version of shawarma at home, using spices such as paprika and cumin to coat your chicken. With couscous, olives and tahini yogurt sauce making this portable dish taste even more authentic, you’ll be the envy of your coworkers.

3. Healthy Greek Chicken Meal-Prep Bowls

Sectioned plastic containers are a must for meal-prep purposes and this recipe is a perfect example of how useful they are. The yogurt sauce, chicken, veggies, and farro are best kept divided until it’s time to eat.

4. Spicy Chicken and Sweet Potato Chicken Meal-Prep Magic

It’s easy, it’s got fewer than five main ingredients, it makes eight servings, it’s well-balanced, and it’s delicious. Magic is a pretty perfect word for this meal-prep recipe.

5. Pesto Chicken Pita Pockets

You can always make your own pesto; however if time is a limited resource for you, a store-bought version works just fine. Stir it into a pile of roasted chicken and veggies, and pack the mixture into pita pockets.

6. Cilantro Lime Chicken With Cauliflower Rice

Lime juice and cilantro keep the chicken tasting light and fresh, while the spicier cauliflower rice and black bean combo gives it a kick of flavor. And since it’s equally tasty eaten hot or cold, it’s an ideal option for an on-the-go meal.

7. Jerk Chicken Meal-Prep Bowls

Recipes like this prove that meal prepping is totally worth it. With spicy chicken, sweet pineapple relish, and fragrant Spanish rice, it might be hard to believe, but this flavor-packed combo really can come together in just 30 minutes… and last you through four lunches or dinners.

8. Fiesta Chicken Rice Bowls

Fiesta is right—brimming with spiced corn, brown rice, salsa, and peppers, these colorful chicken and rice bowls make every meal feel festive. They’re also prepped and ready to go in just 20 minutes. If only all parties were this easy to put together!

9. Meal-Prep Chicken Burrito Bowls

Skip the lines at Chipotle, but not your Mexican fix. From the chicken and the corn to the rice and the beans, these quick and easy combos give you everything you want in a burrito bowl, while kale and cherry tomatoes add even more nutrition.

10. One-Pan Healthy Chicken and Veggies

These vibrant meals are as tasty as they are good-looking, thanks to seasonings like chili powder, onion powder, and paprika coating the colorful veg. There’s the option to add cheese, but with so much other fun stuff going on, we doubt you’ll miss it if you leave it out.

Working out can be uncomfortable and it’s a fact. Sore muscles for a day or two after exercise are often considered signs of a job well done. After all, reaching for another rep and pushing through another mile is what helps build strength and endurance, right? But how do you distinguish between discomfort and danger? How do you know when your body is telling you it’s not safe to work out? Whether you’re a newbie gym member or a veteran athlete, paying attention to the following warning signs will help you stay safe and avoid injuries.

1. Feeling sick.

If you’re feeling under the weather, there’s a good chance your body is working hard to fight whatever illness has taken hold. Piling on the stress of an intense exercise session is never a good idea when you’re sick. Working out vigorously with a fever, sore throat, nausea, gastrointestinal distress or severe aches and pains could make the symptoms worse and potentially result in a longer healing time. If you have any of these symptoms, prior to your workout, don’t even start. Wait until you’re feeling better and then reintroduce exercise slowly. If you spent a few days or weeks recovering, your fitness level will likely have taken a small hit. Ease back into your routine and avoid the urge to start from where you left off. When you get back in the gym, go with lighter intensity and shorter duration of exercise for a week or two.

2. Ouch! Something hurts.

Pain is typically the body’s way of signaling a problem so you can quickly address whatever is causing it and protect yourself from further harm. There are two general types of pain: acute and chronic. Acute pain is the result of a single or immediate trauma, like a sprained ankle. Chronic pain is the persistence of pain even after the normal amount of healing time (weeks or months depending on the problem). The lower back area is a common site for chronic pain.

In terms of exercising, acute pain is always a warning sign to stop. Sharp, intense pain and/or sudden swelling are often associated with acute trauma. Any attempts to push through these sensations during a workout will only exacerbate the problem and delay healing. Chronic pain, on the other hand, is treated quite differently. In fact, physical activity and exercise programs are increasingly recommended for various types of chronic pain. Check with your doctor or health care provider for physical activity recommendations.

3. Trouble in breathing.

Difficulty breathing could be an indication of a respiratory condition (exercise-induced asthma), a circulatory problem or an exercise intensity that is beyond an individual’s current level of fitness. A normal response to vigorous exercise is heavy breathing. A healthy person’s breathing rate gradually returns to normal shortly after the effort ends. However, gasping for air during minimal exertion or feeling like you’re unable to catch your breath after exercise is a sign of a bigger problem. If you struggle to breathe during exercise, back off the intensity to see if it gets better. If it doesn’t, seek recommendations from your doctor or health care provider.

4. You feel light-headed.

Feeling dizzy or light-headed could be an indication of a cardiovascular, respiratory or low blood sugar problem. If you begin to feel faint during a workout session, stop exercise immediately to avoid passing out. Transition to a comfortable seated or lying position to prevent falling and allow the blood to more readily reach the brain. Seek medical attention, if the feeling persists after the workout. It might go without saying, but if light-headedness is a recurring problem, during a workout or otherwise, get it checked out by a physician.

5. Experiencing chest pain, pressure or discomfort.

In terms of potential seriousness, this warning sign is the most severe. A cardiac event, such as a heart attack, is relatively rare during exercise. It is most likely to occur in a person with underlying heart disease. The problem is people often aren’t aware they have a heart issue, until they experience the warning signs of chest pain, pressure or discomfort. These are more likely to surface during physical exertion than at rest, so a workout might be the first time these symptoms manifest. Experiencing them during a workout session is an indicator to stop exercising immediately and seek medical attention, as this could be a sign of a potentially life-threatening condition. Interestingly, in addition to chest pain (the hallmark symptom of a heart attack), women, especially, are more likely to have other symptoms, such as pain or discomfort in the back, jaw, or throat, as well as a headache, nausea, and coughing. Paying attention to these symptoms and seeking treatment from a health care professional could save your life.

People do not pay attention to what they eat and drink, because of their busy lifestyle and hence, most people are suffering from obesity problems. This tip will help you in reducing fat from the body. Eight glasses of water, one spoon of ginger, a cucumber, a lemon and 12 mint leaves. Fill all these ingredients in one jug and keep it overnight. Because of this, the juice of cucumber, lemon and mint will be gathered in water. Filter this water in the morning. Take this water throughout the day. This will help reduce excess fat in the body.

In summers, it is quite common to crave for cool foods and curd is of course considered as a cool food. Curd is also highly nutritious and good for health. It consists of nutrients like calcium, proteins, riboflavin, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12.

It improves digestion and makes easier for body to absorb nutrients from other food items that you consume. Probiotics in curd helps in strengthening the immune system. Eating curd on regular basis helps in preventing diseases like arthritis and osteoporosis. Curd consists of several minerals like phosphorous, vitamin E and zinc which helps in improving your complexion and skin texture.

Raisins which are small in size has lot of health benefits, due to good content of calcium, iron, fiber and magnesium. Following are some benefits which will sure make you to gulp some raisins on daily basis:

Raisins contain a large amount of iron which is beneficial for fighting against anemia.

High content of potassium in raisins helps in reducing hypertension.

It contains polyphenolic phytonutrients which have antioxidant properties are good for eye health.

It helps in curing fever by fighting against bacterial and viral infections due to its antibiotic and antioxidant properties.

Fiber in raisins helps in relieving constipation. It also helps in stopping loose stools.